Design Revision Phase, Late Autumn 1915Schlanke Beleuchtung Adderbolt (Sleek Lightning Adderbolt) - Versuch 2
(Dehnert Adderbolt SBD.I)
As the name suggests, the goal of this revision is to introduce various improvements to the Adderbolt's airframe so as to improve it's general characteristics and make the plane more maneuverable, faster and sturdier in general. Following last season's feud between 'those-that-shall-not-be-named' and 'those-who-were-not-ultimately-right', more time is taken out for someone other than engineering students to look over the design. Work is done to fuse the wings with the fuselage, using a thicker airfoil to allow a larger and stronger structural spar along the inside of the wing, which in turn allows the wing to be cantilevered from the fuselage without any external support wires and struts, thus reducing drag. An anhedral dihedral is established on the upper wing to contribute to maneuverability in the roll and yaw axis, allowing the aircraft to perform tighter maneuvers. The thicker airfoil also allows a novelty - retractable landing gears, cranked by the pilot upon liftoff, are attempted so as to reduce drag, allowing a higher top speed, and just making the plane look even sleeker than it already does.
Efficacy: 6
As it turns out, the people who where a part of 'those-that-shall-not-be-named' and 'those-who-were-not-ultimately-right' were both actually made up mostly of engineers, buuuut we
subtlety modified a bit of paper work
temporarily so that they wont be on this project and things can move forward, which they do quite a bit might I add. The new version of the Adderbolt is what we desired, a more aerodynamic aircraft that is more durable to boot. With the work done we have eliminated the external struts the aircraft had in exchange for internal ones and a stronger, thicker airfoil, both of which together should help with durability a decent bit. Additionally, we had a bit of work on wings placed at an angle from their root, which was the . The aircraft also has another interesting thing worked on, landing gear, although this was something quite difficult to work out, especially with how to retract the front gear into a position that wouldn't actually cause the aircraft to have slightly more weight on one side compared to the other. More work needs to be done on landing gear in general, but we have a good start and a good modified aircraft out of all of this.
Future Adderbolt's will have these improved characteristics at no extra cost, and you can spend 2 PP per squadron to upgrade existing Adderbolt squadrons with this capability.Revision: FEiV-12M (Funkgerät Einschalten Verpackung; formerly the Radio Aircraft Adaptation revision)
Mounted on a short extension of the propeller axle, any plane engine can become host to an electric generator. These new Stromgenerators (StG15/L) will allow us to run radios and other helpful electronics without relying on battery power. The batteries can stay for emergencies, but the ILuM-12M will be modified to draw more power to boost its range. In parallel, the antenna will be enlarged and incorporated into the structures of any plane that carries it in order to use the increased power supply.
Efficacy: 4
The work on the FEiV-12M goes fairly smoothly, thankfully. Work is made to allow it to be built into a fuselage and use more power due to the availability given by the engine. Of course, it won't cost much in an aircraft specifically designed to have this radio, but modifying an existing aircraft with it will be time consuming and a bit more expensive than we would have liked. Still, by having it use more power, we managed to double the range to 10 Kilometers, which still isn't much but its still double the range of the old radio.
Revision: AvD Motors Dehnert SMT 915 'Blitz 260' / Dehnert Blitz 915 - Versuch 2
Following the prolonged development period, Andreas has become more optimistic about the prospects of the project. The goal of reaching 2000 RPM and an engine output of roughly 250-260 hp now seems entirely sensible, given the machine's effectiveness at 1400 RPM, and he now feels much more secure marketing the engine as the 'Blitz 230' - if not even the 'Blitz 260' to bring in more investors.
Efficacy: 4
Work on the engine goes much better than last month, with the HP of the test engines finally getting past the big two double oh mark. In fact, it almost reached the HP that the old engine was meant to have...almost. As if fate itself is having a cruel laugh at our expense, the engines we made manage to get to 229 HP, driving a few engineers who like round numbers mad and making all the engineers who where hoping to get to the original specifications very very angry...especially as they didn't have the time to get that one extra HP to get to the grand number of 230...Still, its practically there at least, at least that's what the people who listed it at 230 anyway thought...
Future Adderbolt's will have the engine at no extra cost, and you can spend 1 PP per squadron to upgrade existing Adderbolt squadrons with this capability.
Its now the... shuffles some papers Still the Revision phase...You have 2 dice remaining to spend on Revisions or Save for the next turn.Planes:
-BzL 1 Motte Biplane: A unarmed, single seater biplane bought from the start up Beham zivile Luft. The aircraft is stable in flight and the five-cylinder rotary engine powering the thing to a respectable speed doesn't cause any noticeable vibrations unless damaged making it easy to fly, with a wooden fuselage keeping it cheap. However, it is woefully inadequate for anything other than scouting or training. True to its name however, it is lightweight, and cheap. Cost 3/1
--BzL 1 Motte-SMT Biplane: A Motte variant powered by the AVD Motors Dehnert SMT 915 engine in place of the smaller five-cylinder one it originally had. Noticeably faster then the normal everyday Motte and replaces the old version of the craft.
-AvDD.I Adderbolt: A singe-seater tandem wing aircraft that instead of canvas and wood is purely made of wood with a Monocoque design and powered by the Dehnert 9C engine in the pusher configuration. The Adderbolt mounts two GL-12 Luftblitzkanone machineguns in front of the pilot for easy unjamming and aiming. It's quite fast and maneuverable due to its small size. Claiming the the aircraft should be or was made out of high quality ebony for moral and patriotism is a surefire way to get a pay cut. Cost 5/1.
--Dehnert Adderbolt SBD.I: A Adderbolt that has been modified quite a bit to be much more aerodynamic than its predecessor by making most of the structural parts placed inside instead the aircraft's frame instead of outside. All future adderbolts will be of the SSD.I verity.
Equipment:
-GL-12 Luftblitzkanone: A fairly advanced open bolt air cooled machine gun that fires 7.62mm rounds at about 1000 per minute with ease. Costs 1 PP
- FEiV-12M: An radio based on the IluM-12M that weighs the same 32 kilograms with the battery and 20 without that can use the power of an engine instead of a battery and because of the availability of power, uses more. It uses a spark gap transmitter and crystal receiver for Morse code at frequency's of 300 to 450 kHz. Costs 1 PP to buy and another one to mount onto an airframe.
-M-08-45KG "Selbstmord-Hülse": A shell that true to its nickname tends to explode, violently, at even the most minor of disturbance. Still, its a 45KG artillery shell, so there is that...Costs 1 PP
Pilots:
-Diligent: Quality beats Quantity! Schwarzes Holz ground crews work round the clock and hard to make sure aircraft are in tip top shape before entering combat, and the pilots know their aircrafts limits.
-Uniforms: Dark charcoal grey with accents of crimson red. Pilots of rank are issued a fancy hat, though its ill advised to wear it when flying.
Technology:
-Basic biplane design
-Basic monoplane design
-Basic tandem wing design
-Basic pusher configuration design
-Wooden frame construction
-Simple Monocoque construction
-Simple Cantilever
-Prototype retractable landing gear
-Basic control surfaces: ailerons, elevator and rudder
-Basic Radial Engine design
-Fördern Mount technology
-Basic crystal receivers, Morse code
-Basic spark-gap transmitter, Morse code
-Tracer ammunition
Resources:
-1 Basic Pilot Training School: Teaches new pilots what roll, yaw, and pitch is along with what the flight stick and rudder peddles are for. How to actually use this knowledge to take off is the final test.
-1 Prototype Airfield: The place where new aircraft and other air-related equipment are made and tested. Produces five dice worth of progress every turn.
-16 Production Points Base
Schurk Geschwader | AvDD.I Adderbolt | None | Aerial Superiority/Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to observe enemy shore defenses and troop movements near Dinas tywod
Rote Geschwader | AvDD.I Adderbolt | None | Air Shows | Neophyte | Nicholas von Rheinbach | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to awe crowds and inspire patriotism behind friendly lines.
Gold Geschwader | AvDD.I Adderbolt | None | Aerial Superiority/Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to observe enemy front line and shoot down anything it see's
Rudel Geschwader | AvDD.I Adderbolt | None | Aerial Superiority/Reconnaissance | Neophyte | No Aces | Maintenance Cost 1
Currently assigned to observe the enemy front line and shoot down anything it see's
1 GL-11b Luftdonnerkanone
2 IluM-12M
Prestige: Little “Have you seen Überkanonen Nicholas von Rheinbach in his fancy Adderbolt at the airshows!”
Status: Auxiliary Service
Army Relations: lukewarm “Those planes might be able to help fund the war, if anything else.”
Navy Relations: Neutral “Remind me, what use do aircraft have in war again? They just replace horses right?”
Production Points: 16
Total Maintenance: 4